Newmark Learning- Perfect for Your Child (Review and Giveaway)

February 20, 2012 by 5 Comments

All kids needs help in school, or encouragement. The kids who do great in school, do so for a reason. Extra help at home and that extra effort from the student. Newmark Learning is fantastic- I love this program. It’s very interesting, a new take on some old ideas- and it works.

A great way to get involved with your kids education at home is spending time working with them, and encouraging them. Yes, we need to do that! It’s vital and important as parents. Parents are super busy, but our children come first. Help them get ahead- or stay ahead.

A great way to do this is with the Newmark Parent Involvement kits. These kits are great, simple and just fabulous. They include books geared toward a certain subject, as well as a a parent guide and a reading journal. The books are easy to read and perfect for little readers. We gave the Social Studies Parent Involvement Kit. This particular kit is geared toward pre K through second grade. The books involve topics like, maps, birthdays, towns, etc. All topics easily accessible to little ones. The vibrant large pictures and simple words are a great way to get kids to read along with parents at story time.

There is also an absolutely outstanding product available from Newmark called Sight Word Readers. This is a great way to teach little ones sight words, words which are read quickly and almost breezed over when reading. These books range in topic from baby animals to vegetables and counting. The astounding thing about this is, the sight words actually stick. After 2-3 “read throughs” to your child they will [Read more…]

Filed Under: education, giveaway, review

Oh, I found a funny for you!!!!

February 20, 2012 by 6 Comments

Anyone in the mood for a giggle? Maybe to laugh super, super hard? This is not a typical “Have Sippy” post, I know- but I was playing on the net today, and this was just sooooo funny, I had to share with you. I don’t care what your political leanings, this [Read more…]

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Hop Around- 3 Hops in one!

February 20, 2012 by 2 Comments
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How Can I Get My Family to Live Healthier?

February 20, 2012 by 11 Comments

So you’ve tried to let things work themselves out, at least as far as your family’s health and lifestyle choices
are concerned. But you’ve come to realize that it’s not going to change on its own, and those small fears
are starting to become big time worries. Whether its cancer or heart disease, childhood obesity or early
onset diabetes, our modern medical understand has made a ton of progress. But many of the warning
signs of these troubling conditions point to lifestyle, and whether a person consistently makes a healthy
choice. And it’s never too early to start. How can you get your family to adopt a healthy lifestyle?

There’s nothing wrong with trickery. You’ve tried everything, and the kids just will not eat the asparagus
you cook. The idea of salmon or tofu revolts them, and if it’s not in nugget form, it just can’t be on the
plate. If health and wellness are your end goals, there’s no harm in trying to sneak some vegetables or
fruits into their favorite foods. There are ways to subtly sneak these underrepresented food groups in
breakfast, lunch and dinner. You’ll even find amazing dessert recipes that involve veggies. Or ‘disguise’
that fruit by cooking it in a way your kids haven’t seen before.

Use your influence. You know your family. You know what makes them tick, how to press their buttons
and what makes them happy. So play to their strengths. If your children won’t eat the healthiest range
of fruits, vegetables and grains, maybe they love sports. Encourage that, but not just from the sidelines.
Find opportunities to play along. Get involved in adult leagues. Most towns have club leagues for soccer,
softball, and basketball, or find [Read more…]

Filed Under: family, food, health

Re-Tweet Club! Come On Over and get Re-Tweeted! @MryJhnsn @Blessed_Elements @CloserToLucy

February 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Got a post that needs some help getting the Tweet out?
Link up the direct URL to the Tweet that you need Re-Tweeted and RT for at least three others [Read more…]
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Why It’s Never Too Late to Go Back to School

February 19, 2012 by 14 Comments

You may be thinking to yourself, “I’m a mother; that’s a full time career; I missed my window to go to
school; I’m too old, and that’s that.” Or perhaps you are continuing to work and raise your children at
the same time, but you feel like you’re not getting anywhere – this can certainly be an equally frustrating
experience. But does that mean that you’re shut out of the golden gates of education forever? Of course
not! Now more than ever before, people are finding it easier to go back to school in a variety of different
ways. Here are a few reasons why you should consider signing up for classes when it’s time for everyone
else to go back to school.

Online is the way to go for many. Especially if you’re a stay at home mom, you should consider
earning your degree online. Many schools are now offering you the chance to earn your degree without
ever having to set foot on an actual campus. Of course you need to make sure that the institution you’re
attending is accredited and has a track record of success. But just because you spend most of your time
at home doesn’t you can’t further your education! Just look for the magic words “click here” on the
university’s home page and go to town!

Distance learning can help you improve! Additionally, many students report greater success and
higher grades when they studied online versus entering an actual classroom. If you are a Facebook or
Twitter user, you can still [Read more…]

Filed Under: education

Nuk and Gerber Prize Pack Giveaway

February 19, 2012 by 9 Comments

Today we are looking at Gerber/Nuk’s new line of fun and funky tableware and baby designs.

First up is Gerber’s new Active Snacker. This little container is dishwasher safe, has a hard lid to keep snacks inside when packing things up and a soft flexible lid to keep snacks in and give little hands the ability to go in grab a snack and snack and come out again.

After snack time comes dinner! If your little ones are now a bit bigger, and looking to use forks and spoons to eat with, these are great. The problem with most utensils are that some children keep jamming the utensils down their throat. Gerber has a solution for this, a built in choke blocker. This little barrier on their forks and spoons keep little ones from putting them too far into their mouths, perfect for little ones trying to feed themselves. Its a really great idea that is executed perfectly with these utensils.

Now for the older kids, the ones who want “real” metal utensils but aren’t quite ready for the big stuff yet. The Kiddy Cutlery line is meant for [Read more…]

Filed Under: baby, giveaway, review

Saving Money with Coupons

February 19, 2012 by 15 Comments

The following is a guest post by Outside the Box Mom:

questions about using coupons

Thanks to your comments on this series, we have some great questions to address…

Question: I’m not a big grocery coupon user. I find that most coupons are not for foods or other products I buy so it is not really worth my time. That said I do think of myself as a very smart shopper and am still able to keep our monthly grocery bill in a very reasonable range.

Answer: Coupons are available on a variety of products. See the categories and resources listed below.

Fruit: sign up for Driscoll’s newsletter or check their website periodically; coupons from POM’s pomegranates

Vegetables: search for Libby’s, Muir Glen, Birdseye Frozen vegetables, or your favorite brand

Milk and other dairy products: search for PET, Dannon, Yoplait, Oikos, Soy milk, Almond milk, or your favorite brand

Baking products: search for Domino’s sugar, Karo syrup, Gold Medal flour, or your favorite brand

Pet products: search for coupons by brand name or item (example: “Purina” or “dog food”), or your favorite brand

Health & beauty items: search for deals at your local drugstore chain like CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid

Household items and cleaners: search for Clorox, Lysol, Green Works, or your favorite brand

Organic products: follow blogs that post natural & [Read more…]

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